How do you find you eBooks to read? Please respond.

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The USA Today does not always publish the most reliable of polls, but this recent article on how eBooks are changing reading habits seems significant. It also just makes logical sense. More people are purchasing and using eReaders to read their books. Along with this comes a transformation in the way that people shop for books. When one relies on an eReader, then it is less desirable to go to a brick-and-mortar store to browse books. Particularly, when people stated in the poll that their biggest reason for not reading is because they do not have the time. With a time crunch, who wants to strap on galoshes and traipse to the bookstore?

This brings up an interesting problem though. When something transforms in this way, there becomes a new way. I have often struggled with how to find new books to read. I feel much like I am stabbing in the dark, rather than using a reliable method of finding new, quality books.

I love to support independent artists as well. So for me, that introduces another layer. How do I find indie authors that have amazing books that I have not heard of? I do really believe in quality as well though. That means I also want to weed out those poor quality works.

An example here is that I recently read a book that has been recommended on my Amazon page for numerous months. Probably years. I jumped into the first book of the series. There were typos, but not so bad that I could not enjoy the book. However, there were numerous, gaping plot holes, where the book did not follow its own logic (a big problem for greens such as me.) There were also numerous instances where characters acted outside of their given personality, with no explanation. One example: there was a king and a queen, where the king absolutely adores the queen. The queen is a horrid, evil, power-hungry person, while the king is compassionate and just person who is touted to be able to read and know people very well. If he knows people so well, and is so compassionate, why on earth would he adore this horrid person as his wife? The book offered no explanation. I loved the characters, and I loved the world-building, but the inconsistencies were a huge disappointment for me, such that I will not be reading any further books in the series.

So, how do I find books from indie authors that are high quality, that fall within what I like to read? Right now, I use the Amazon recommendations quite a bit, but I must admit that it is really hit-or-miss, and I end up buying many books that I do not finish reading. Yes, I do read the reviews for the books before purchasing. I also cannot help but to think there are some gems out there that I would love to read, but I have just never heard of the books.

If you would not mind responding please, I would love to hear from you.

Do you primarily read eBooks, or psychical books? What methods do you use to find new books to read? Do you ever read indie authors, and if so, how do you find indie books to read?

3 comments

It turns out we are not to far apart in our thinking. While I have no problems in migrating away from paper books to eBooks I do not wish to see the day when we move away from libraries and bookstores (used and new) as there’s something about the social aspect and pure serendipity that comes from hunting through bookstacks. I’m still one who enjoys both old-school and modern browsing. Hey–for now we can still have both and I’m grateful for that. Sadly, it’s not hard to see that old-school browsing may be in something of a decline. I do hope I’m wrong about that as “just” browsing and searching online is s bit sterile. Don’t get me wrong–I will do it and am doing it now, but I like the other just as much, if not more.
Overall, I think us book lovers have to learn to show a bit more stewardship toward our hobby (reading) and make a point of supporting the content creators by making the effort to get out and to be prepared to pay a premium–buy local and hard-copy–if we want to keep getting good, innovative content.
Of you are interested, I composed a somewhat related post back earlier this summer but I was focused at the time more on the medium than on locating suitable content. Here’s the link: http://mauriceabarry.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/paper-books-and-ebooks-preferences/

I do really think we are in a time of change, but I find myself unable to predict exactly where things will go from here. Sometimes there is just not that digital alternative to replace the expereinces from the past. Sometimes I wonder too, do I resist change when I shouldn’t, just because I like what I am used to?

Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you
wrote the book in it or something. I think that you
could do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that,
this is great blog. A great read. I will
certainly be back.